Rubbish first doctors appointment

[daisystone]

I went to see the doctor this morning to let them know that I am pregnant and to start the ball rolling.

What a totally rubbish experience that was! She was some locum doctor who looked as though she could only have qualified yesterday as she looked about 23. She was so vacant and her mouth was hanging open catching flies. Honestly, she looked like she should have been stacking shelves somewhere, not responsible for people's health and wellbeing.

I told her I was pregnant and she just stared at me. I mean, what else can I say?
She asked if I was taking Folic Acid - a rather obvious but necessary question I suppose and then finished up with, "right, do you want to ask me anything about pregnancy?"

I got the hell out of there as soon as possible and have an appointment with a midwife in three weeks time.

I think I would have got more information and warmness from a stranger at the bus stop. Talk about a waste of time.

I really hope the midwife is massively better than that eejit today.

I wasn't expecting a cup of tea and a cuddle, but surely there is some middle ground??

I went first time, but didn't bother this. The thing is the books, magazines etc. all say that the first thing to do after a positive test is to make an apointment with your GP - so what else is a first timer to do if they don't know any better??

It is all a bit hit or miss isn't it?

I love the fact that some people write "why didn't you go straight to your midwife??" like you are a total imbecile. If you haven't had a baby and been through this before, why would you know to go to a midwife? Where would you find a midwife apart from through a doctor? I knew I would be having the rest of my appointments with one but I always believed you had to inform your GP first.

Don't assume everyone knows the ins and outs of pregnancy and motherhood.

As I said, I did not expect her to be over the moon for me but she didn't even say Congrats. It was more that she seemed a bit slow and I thought, "typical, trust me to get the dimwit".

I do think a bedside manner is important if you want a career as a GP.

I was waiting to contact the GP/midwife until I'd had my early scan, having had an mc last year and having to cancel my booking in appointment.

So had my 9 week scan at the EPU today (self-referred), all good (yippee!) and called the surgery to make a booking in appt. The nippy receptionist was shocked that I hadn't been in yet to get my pregnancy confirmed, and even though I said that last year the doctor just told me to make a booking in appt she insisted they have to confirm it with a urine test before we go any further!

I said, well I have a scan image of it, which is pretty good confirmation, but that made no odds. Now I don't know if I have made a booking in appointment or just one to get the pregnancy confirmed. And I should be getting my 12 week scan in 3 or 4 weeks so am worried about being too late to get an appointment for that!

Am confused. Is this the only surgery in the country that insists on doing a test before they believe you?! Sounds like it from this thread. Grr.

I think you are terribly rude to imply everyone who stacks shelves is thick - people do it to get through 6th form and uni.

You now have to realise that you are not the first person to be pregnant and will not be the last and doctors and midwives are doing their job and aren;t going to jump around and hug you because you managed to get yourself pregnant!

Geekisgood - it's really hard getting past the receptionist isn't it?

At least we are all in the same boat with our first GP appointments!

I'd like to thank you all for this post. This is my first pregnancy and...aside from buying two pregnancy books and reading just about everything I can online...I'm pretty clueless as to what the protocol is when you first discover you are pregnant.

So...I rang my doctor's surgery today and booked straight in with the midwife...they said there was no need to see the GP.

Funny that both my books told me to go and see my GP...well, there you go. Who can blame us first timers for getting it wrong!